SI'LKI'H OF HU.V. W. II. UOOPEK, Uu th Itlll for the Ailmliiloo of (uiut Kilo a a fit.il.. Mr. Hooper, of Utah. I hope, before be-fore the vote is taken, 1 bhail l: heard. 1 havu be'.n in thu bou-e for ten ; years an d'.leifate from tiie 'J" iritory of ; (liah, af.'l L do not tbiuk that during all that time 1 have ever occupied five hours of tbe timu of tbe hou.-ie. 1 iliiLk, th:n, that when I appeal to th Lou-c to li-.ar me, to give me time to viMiieaic l!n-ir integrity and their in-duf'ry, in-duf'ry, niy appeal will not be in vain. Air. Sroveusoa. 1 a.-k unan mous eon-'.nt i hat the gentlcuian may have linil an hour. Mr. Wood. I a it understood that at I he expiration of that time the pprvium queetiou will be called? J lie speaker. '1 lie previous question ques-tion i.i operaLiug, tin: timo allowed fur debate having expired. Tho gentleman gentle-man i'r'irn Utah n.-ks for tljirly min-u'es. min-u'es. ia there objection? Tho chair hi'iiM n'me. Mr. Hooper, of I tah. Mr. SpeaL-er, SpeaL-er, the dli jjaic from Montana Territory Terri-tory hn.t w.u fit to signalize the close il'tii:t briel career in this house by an ati uek upon the people of Utah, aa uutfeneruui as it i uncalled for, ai un-oiiilid un-oiiilid in fitatcmcnt as it is diiingen-Ujit.1 diiingen-Ujit.1 iri deduction. The motive lor this elaborate attuek i will not now pau-e to quc.itiun, hut t should bo un-Iiilhlul un-Iiilhlul to the trust of my constituents did L permit Ins remarks to pass without with-out some brief reply. He tells the hull no that freedom of speech, of the pres, and of public wor.-hip are unknown in Utah, and that "a government of the people, by the people, fur the people," dues not exist there. His lir.it charge is utterly basics!-; his second is, unfortunately, to some extent true, not througli tho diHpo.iiiiou, but iu consequence of tho misfortunes of my constituents 1 here aro six daily papers published in Utah. Of thu number three are hostile to tho "Mormons'" and their culumns are constantly filled with misrepresen-tutioLS, misrepresen-tutioLS, abuse, and denunciation of that people and of all that attempt their defense. The Salt Lake Tribune, Mining Journal, andCoriuno Reporter, aro constant evidences of tho unbridled liberty of the press. As a rulo, public meetings havo been free f rom interruption. Onco or twice audiences, composed nine-tenths of "Mormuus," have neglected to listen patiently to insulting assaults upon thoir religious faith, and havo shown their disapprobation by voice, but never by violence. Hat there hs been less disturbance of this character than oan bo found in tho history of every town of equal population in tho United States. The l'rcsbytcrian, Kpisoopal, Methodist, Me-thodist, and Catholio faiths havo church organizations, edifices, and schools ai various places in Utah. There is uo instance on record of any interference with public worship, and tho pulpit of tho "Mormon" tabor-nae'e tabor-nae'e has ever been open to and numberless num-berless times been Oiled by distinguished distinguish-ed clergy men of other faiths a liberality liber-ality whioh has never been reciprocated. recipro-cated. If tho missionaries havo failed to convert my constituents, it has certainly cer-tainly not been for lack cither of opportunity or audiences. Tho geutleman referred with Eomo eloquence and feeling to the fact that tho Utah laws provide for ideulilieation of ba. lots. My answer is that this is the means that my people uuopicd to maintain the purity of the ballot and to provide for purging tho list of illegal votes in tho event of a contested election. elec-tion. Tho pioneers of Utah lived in Illinois before they marched into tho wilderness. Tho plan they udoptcd was uupied from the laws of that State, where, if I am not misinformed, tho system still prevail?. The statement that tho Nauvoo Le-I Le-I giou. under which name tho militia of tho Territory is organized, over marched through tho streets of bait Lake city or any other plaeo in Utah and took possession of tho polls, ia as utterly without truth or bais of truth as is the other statement that ten thousand minors or ten minors were ever excluded iiauvoo Legion aro these : A governor who : was sent to Utah about threo years ago gavo an exhibition of bis authority while there by the issuance of an extraordinary ex-traordinary proclamation forbidding tho assemblage of tho legion. A federal judgo was found who sent tho otfrcers of a company of militia to prison at Camp Douglas, because, forsooth, on tho reception of a new set of instruments by thoir band they met, as he ruled, in violation of that proclamation! So stringent has that proclamation been enforced as law that my constituents havo been threatened threat-ened with various pains and penalties i in tho capacity of militia, they should assemble to take part in the celebration of their country1! independence. indepen-dence. Tho representative from Montana must have been but partially informed or he would never have hazarded tho assertion that the Church of Jcsub Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been clothed with such power by tho territorial terri-torial legislative assembly that it haB been enabled not only to cut off apostates apos-tates from the church, but to pursue such apostates with tho rigors of the law, despoil them of their substance, or to expel them and their wives and children from Utah. I could cite many instances to the contrary, in stances ot men who have been brought to Utah by tho generous help of her pioneers, who havo accumulated fortunes for-tunes from her pcoplo, who have taken unto themselves wives from her daughters, daught-ers, who have apostatized, and who have been out off from religious association, asso-ciation, certainly, but who still enjoy in Utah not only their fortunes, but the society and ministrations of the extra wives with which they provided themselves immediately before their apostaey. The "Mormon" church, Mr. Speaker, Speak-er, possesses and cxercisei no greater corporate powers or privileges than are enjoyed by every considerable religious re-ligious body in this country, and visits unon its recusant members only tho-e spiritual penalties which elsewhere follow apostacy: The law, since repealed, whoso object ob-ject it was to simplify and purify the practice of law ic Utah, seems to have specially excited the indignation of the representative from Montana. My people arc experimentalists in socia! science in more ways than one. Female suffrage has been adopted, and in the co i stitution of the proposed State of Ueseret, minority representation and three-fourths verdicts in civil eases arc all provided for. 1 apprehend that our pioneers thought it well to discourage iLwycrs, or at least to endeavor to in-duee in-duee them to tell the truth. They seem to have abandoned the effort, for the law is repealed. Can we marvel at tho teelings of the gentleman trom Montaua on this subject, when we learn that he resided for a while at Salt Lake City, and his shining legal abilities were permitted to remain unnoticed un-noticed t Was it then that his dislike of the people and tho laws of Utah was torn : v as it then that this law against the lawyers loomed up to him as the cause of his non-success ? Much has been said about large urants of lands and franchises of roads by the legislative assembly of Utah. W iih respect to the tirt, let me say thit, w'U the exception of one or two tracts, ol land which have been proffered prof-fered and arc held for the purpose of condac:iajr an experiment in agricultural agricul-tural eo-in-oration, there is not a person, per-son, a.-vsverauon, or corporation in Utah o.v;r one thousand acres of land, whi:c tbe h'-ilkoftha land is held in sa:a:l true s, a 5rm of euhty acres beicc aa exceptionally larte one in that j country, and nirety per ecu, of the I ho use hoi '.ens ot I ;ah are freeholders, i Uvinc an their owq premises. When 1 this is contrasted w-.th the thirty and j forty ard tiiiy thousand aero ranches i of Cahfornii, and tbe private prioci- i i raiities of Nevada, Idaho and Mon-tura. Mon-tura. the answer is all suiEcienr. We are told, too, about franchise! Why, Mr. Speaker, there ia not. to my knowledge, a toil-road in Utah; while the legislatures of Montana, of Idaho and of Nevada, when Nevada! was a 'lerritory, and the gentleman! from Montana wa. as I u-iuernand.a member of her Territorial a.-.- mby. j granted toil-road franchise-, and canal, j and railroad and water, and jran pnvi-, leLres, until a map of the lul. -roads of Nevada Territory re.--eiijb.ed a picture of an irumi-n.-t; ceiu; ede, w.lh a ic 1 sprawled up every eauun and on both . bid-:i of every .-in-air. : Ti e laud eiii:c Las been open at J ' Salt Lake city over two years. '1 here are hundred) of Uhj Uganda of acres ol I unclaimed laud open to pre-ju-ptiun j and houu.itead entry, ad thac who wi.ih to tni the coil may do so uirnio- : lested; but tho people who, aucuriiiu i to the gentleman Irutu Montana, are j Heated ao badly are not agrieu.turi.-ie, 1 except mural agricuituri-ts. 1 hey pre- : fer to mine lor the precious metals or j pro-pect for federal oliice.-'. The truth is, Mr. Speaker, that new countries need special local legis- , lation in order to induce capital to embark em-bark in public im provemeutf. There was a wood deal uf this class of legislation legis-lation in nil the Territories until cun-grcrs cun-grcrs intervened and prohibited it, but tl'ere wan far less of it in Utah lhau in any of the other Territories. The gentleman complains that the .rebate courts have had chancery and cummon law jurisdiction juris-diction given them by Territorial Territo-rial legislative enactment. Well, what of it '! Tho Territories of Nevada and Idaho, under Organic acts of similar phraseology, gave thoir probate courts divorce juiUdiction, common lawjuris-diction lawjuris-diction to the extent of $;iuu, chancery jurisdiction to the same amount, made the judges masters in chancery for the district courts, and, I think, gavo them limited criminal jurisdiction. Neither tho policy nor the authority of this legislation was ever questioned in the other Territories, it is true that a Utah Territorial district judge bus de cided that the legislature ot tho lern-tory lern-tory had no power to grant this jurisdiction; juris-diction; but the question is on appeal to tho United Hiatcs mprcmo court; and, pending its decision, i caii only say that tho rulings of tho United States supreme court heretofore on tho decisions of Utah Territorial jurists have not been of a character to encourage en-courage tho idea that they rank among tho groat jurists of tho country. But, Mr. Speaker, my imperfect hearing, whioli prevented my distinguishing distin-guishing all his remarks, with my imperfect im-perfect memory of that which 1 did hear of tho gentleman's speech which is not in the Globe to day, but seems to have been withheld for revision will not permit mo to follow him further. fur-ther. The people of Utah aro neither disloyal dis-loyal to thj government of tho United States nor disregarded of its rights. But they do not deserve to bo condemned con-demned for their endeavors to obtain officers and judges of their own choosing. choos-ing. The federal officers and judges scut to the Territories havo not usually boon men who could achieve public confidence at homo. There aro honorable honor-able exceptions; but as a rule it is the debris of tho legal profusion and tho discarded of political conventions who are appoiutcd to Territoral office. The Territories have been recognized dumping grounds for political garbtigo, and Utah has had her share, iier people havo heard of the decisions of federal judges in a neighboring Territory Terri-tory being bought and sold, and scarcely scar-cely a decent cover to tho corruption. Llieynavo Known a leueraijuuge io open court in a condition of inebriety with a harlot seated by his side on the bench. They have known a lodcral judge -to sell his appointment for a year's salary, and his successor agree to pay the price and trust to luck to support his family in the interim; and they naturally prefer judges who, if they are not learned lawyers, aro at oast honest men. The laws of Utah, which tho gentleman gentle-man from Montana demands shall be vised, may not bo perfect there is probably room for improvement ; but certainly theso laws havo never im peded tho publio progress nor diminished privato wealth. There is no Territory in 'this union where taxation is so light or private rights in this Union whero capital embarks with moro confidence and freedom. Kailroads aro built without subsidies of money or land. Manufactures thrive without publio bounties, and there is not ono dollar of publio indebtedness in-debtedness of any character, cither Territorial or local, county or city. Mr. Speaker, Utah is no longer an unknown country. The great overland road runs through it, and tho pulses of trade throb to its utmost confines. i'Youi tho assault of the gentleman from Montana I appeal to tho house and the country, aud I appeal with confidenco, for many honorablo gentlemen gentle-men upon this lloor havo visited Utah within the last two years. 1 ask them who it is that complains of Mormon iaws and usages? Is it tho capitalists aud business men, and mill and lur-nacc lur-nacc aud mine owners ; or is it a little knot of political adventurers and their satellites? Twenty millions of capital from tho Atlantic States and .Europe i have, during tho last two years, been invested in industrial enterprises in Utah from tho&o who represent and manage it you shall hear no word of censure or complaint. It is tho lazzaroni alone whose voices boat tho air in loud denunciations de-nunciations of the Mormons ; and even they can find no present material for ammunition ; even they are compelled and grope in the twilight of i'ablo for causes of complaint. Mr. Speaker,I shall present no comparison com-parison to the iclative claims of Utah and Colorado to self-government. I offered tho amendment admitting Utah as a State because 1 thought that if the house should feel inclined to be generous to Colorado it might at tho same time be disposed to be just to Utah. I attempted to withdraw my amendment because I was threatened that unless 1 did to the gentleman from Montana, who was loaded for the contingency, would bo discharged at my constuuents:. I hoped by the withdrawal to placate the assailant of my people; but it seems that hia piece had to be spoken. Mr. Speaker, I would not now withdraw with-draw the amendment if i could, and 1 hope that the house will suffer a vote j to be taken upon it. 1 cxpjet to live ; to see Utah an honored aud equal commonwealth in the American union. If not now, there will come a cay when her people will bo accorded tire equal manhood citizenship which they crave. Of all the plans proposed lor sotvinc the so-called " Mormon problem, pro-blem, " it has not yet been suggested that the truest statesmanship is to treat the people of Utah exactly as you would treat iadustriou-, honest people anywhere. If there ia a social proolem to solvo, it is cither below or above the reach of political legislation, if there is a ;relii:ious anomaly to be harmonized, harmon-ized, it is not to be reached by packed juries or judicial missionary operators. opera-tors. There are one hundred and thirty thousand iudustrious, earnest, thriving. progressive peop.e in utau. r. icq month adds to their numCers. Tuey arc residents, and not mere deciz.'us of the land. They are recidiminc the waste desert lands; they are building canals and railroads: they are constructing construc-ting factories and milk; they are opening open-ing mines, and leiiing forests, and making the mountains lurid with their furnace Href. They desire local self-government self-government as on:y the peaceful aai independent of soul can deserve it. Some day they will cease to be the slanderer's targ.-t and the politician's foot-ball. Some day congress vr: 1 be ju-it to Utah.